


Try to Understand

by Electrons



Series: After the Comet [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26140879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrons/pseuds/Electrons
Summary: Aang is the last Airbender. As such, he alone can teach future Airbenders. It isn't always easy. Sometimes Aang's relationships with his students become incredibly complicated. However, as Aang teaches, he also learns. He does his best to try to understand.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Series: After the Comet [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816084
Comments: 40
Kudos: 86





	1. North

**Author's Note:**

> This took forever to finish and I'm still not sure it's ready, but it might be as ready as it'll ever be. This follows the events of chapter three of Change Your Mind and happens simultaneously with chapter four of that fic. I'll be posting that chapter later today to avoid spamming the front page of the ATLA tag.

The cliff was high and the winds were strong. A hapless fool could get snatched away from the earth and thrown onto the cruel rocks below. The waves slammed into the cliff. Aang stood at the edge of the cliff, fearless.

The winds were no threat to an Airbender. The waves and rocks were a similar lack of concern for a Waterbender and Earthbender. His student stood in front of him, a ways back, keeping distance between herself and the edge. "Okay, show me what you've got."

She swallowed with nervousness. She took a deep breath. "It won't be good," she warned him. "I've never really been able to do this before…"

"That's okay! We're here to learn. It doesn't matter how good you are."

Aang's student gave him a skeptical look. Siza raised her hands and pushed forth a gust of wind towards the cliff side. She dropped her hands and then looked away as if ashamed. "Sorry," she muttered.

"That was great!" Aang felt a pressure building in his chest. He felt hope, joy and relief. Seeing airbending from another Airbender was something he'd feared would never happen again. "Your stance is a little off, but that was really good! Considering you have no prior training, I'm impressed."

"Sorry about my stance," Siza was quick to apologize.

"It's fine," Aang assured her. "Try something like this." Aang got into a proper stance and bent air off the edge of the cliff. He grinned at his student. "Now you try."

She copied him. The air flowed from her. Aang bounced on his heels. "Fantastic!"

Siza blushed. "I'm not as good as you."

"You will be one day," Aang said. "We've only just started. Now!" He started to rub his hands together. "Do you want to learn how to glide?" He pulled out his glider.

Siza looked at the glider. Her expression was unreadable, but a small smile found its way to her lips. "I would love to," she whispered.

"Great!" Aang unfolded the glider. "Watch me!" Aang jumped off the cliff. Gravity had no authority over him. He sailed above the waves.

When he returned to the cliff, Siza's yellow eyes were wide with delight. "That was amazing!" She clasped her hands together and grinned. "Will I really be able to do that one day?"

Aang chuckled. "How about today?" He held out the glider. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I won't let you fall."

She hesitated. "I…" She rubbed the large burn scar on her neck. She didn't seem to realize she was doing it. "I'm not sure…"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Aang assured her. "Airbending is about detaching yourself from the Earth. To fly, you have to let go of your fear of falling. We don't have to do it today if you don't want to though."

A sort of manic giggle burst from Siza. "I'm not afraid of falling. That is one thing I will never fear. I can't fall, not really."

Aang grinned. He felt like he was missing some important context, and her demeanor was strange, but the words were right. "Great! So are you ready to try?"

Siza took the glider. "Here I go."

"Here you go," Aang agreed.

She put the glider on her back and held on. Aang prepared to correct her for having too tight a grip. First timers always gripped too tight. Siza's grip wasn't too strong though. If anything, it was almost too loose.

She started running towards the cliff edge. Aang watched, prepared to intercede if she needed his assistance. Her feet left the ground, but she didn't fall. She soared up, up, up into the air before leveling out. The air currents carried her.

Aang whooped and jumped into the air, going up at least thirty feet. He chuckled with delight as he floated back down. His student was a natural at gliding. He watched her make slight adjustments to switch from one current to another. It was like she'd done it before.

She began to descend lower, but in a controlled fashion. She grew closer to the ocean, but she was still riding the wind. "Are you okay," Aang shouted to her, just to be sure. "Do you need help?"

She let go of the glider with one hand to skim her fingers in the water. Aang stared with wide eyes. She was still in control. She was still riding the breeze. A stray wave could reach up and snatch her into the water though. She either didn't consider that possibility, or it didn't concern her.

He heard a laugh, brought to his ears by an errant wind. Siza reached into the water and scooped something out that looked like sea foam. Her glider began to rise again. Aang let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Siza returned to the cliff. Once her feet touched the ground, she lost her grace. She stumbled, but she did not fall. She did, however, drop Aang's glider. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

Aang laughed as he picked it up. "It's fine," he assured her. "Who's your new friend?"

Siza held up the pelicanshark chick with delight. The feathers on the creature's back were snow white, while the smooth skin on its belly was storm gray. It opened its mouth to let out a chirp from its tooth-filled maw and opened its wings to shake the water droplets from its feathers. "Isn't he cute?!"

The pelicanshark's muscular tail slapped Siza's arm, but she either didn't notice or she didn't care. "He's of the sea and sky." She kissed the feathers on the top of his head and ran a hand down his smooth underbelly, careful to avoid his sensitive gills. "I thought he might like a preview of flight."

"You should keep him," Aang said on an impulse. "Air Nomads traditionally raise Sky Bison, but…" Aang looked off into the distance at the empty horizon and did not say that Appa was the last Sky Bison. If he didn't say it, it didn't have to be true. "Once he's fully grown, a pelicanshark should be big enough to carry one person." Aang smiled at her.

Siza grinned at Aang. She pet the pelicanshark some more. Her smile started to slip away. "I won't really have time to take care of him between work and training with you. I won't be able to give him all of the attention he deserves. It wouldn't be fair to him."

Aang frowned. "You know you don't have to keep working at the palace, right?"

Siza returned his frown. "Where else would I go," she asked.

"Well… Katara and I are going to be spending some time at the Northern Water Tribe. She's starting a school for Waterbenders. Would you like to stay at the Northern Air Temple for a while? That way, I can split my time between training you and spending time with Katara. What do you say?"

Siza looked at the pelicanshark in her arms. She looked at the horizon. "So, I'd be leaving the Fire Nation?" She looked at him with something akin to distress on her face.

"Well, yes," Aang said. "Does that bother you?"

"Will I ever be allowed to come back," Siza asked.

"Why wouldn't you be?" Aang tilted his head in puzzlement. He smiled at her, but she either didn't notice his grin or didn't respond to it. She dropped her gaze to the ground. "Siza, are you okay?"

"I just… This is all so strange. I feel like I'm still dreaming. I woke up, but I forget sometimes…" She took a deep breath and then released it. "Do other Airbenders live at the Northern Air Temple?"

"No," Aang said. He made no attempt to conceal the sadness in his voice. He let the grief move through him, as he had become so accustomed to doing. "There are people who live there though. They aren't Airbenders, but I bet you'll really like them."

Siza smiled at him, and then she nodded. "I'm going to a new place. I guess I really am an Air Nomad," she joked. She cuddled the pelicanshark chick closer to her chest.

"Of course you are," Aang said. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes, and he knew it reflected in his eyes as well, but he chose not to respond to it. Siza had lived in the Fire Nation all her life, but she was an Air Nomad. He just had to teach her how to be.

The trip to the Northern Air Temple was fun. Aang spent the whole time talking about Airbender culture with Momo draped over his shoulders. Siza held a small bag with her few possessions tight in her lap while her pelicanshark lounged in a pot of water at her feet. Her grip on her bag grew tighter and tighter as she listened to Aang. Aang assumed that to be an indication of how excited she was.

"Once you've mastered airbending, you can get tattoos like mine," Aang explained.

Siza rubbed the burn on her neck. "I don't deserve such an honor," she murmured.

"Sure you do," Aang assured her. "You're an Air Nomad. An Airbender's tattoos are a part of your heritage, just like they are mine."

"You don't have to make the decision right now," Katara said in a gentle voice. Aang wasn't quite sure what she was talking about. He didn't know of any decisions that needed to be made.

Teo was delighted to meet a new Airbender. He was overjoyed to find out that there were others besides Aang. "This is incredible! I'm so happy for you!"

"I was hoping she could stay here with you guys for a while. You could help her practice her gliding while I'm not here. I also want to teach her about what the temple was like a hundred years ago." Aang smiled at Teo.

Teo grinned back. "We're delighted to have you here, Siza."

Siza bowed, as well as one could while holding a squirming pelicanshark chick. "Thank you for your kindness and hospitality." She offered Teo a tentative smile.

"You're very welcome," Teo said. "But you don't need to thank us. This is an Air Temple. It's due to Avatar Aang's kindness and generosity that we're able to stay here."

"Do you need anything before we go," Katara asked Siza. She wore a kind, but sad, smile on her face. Aang didn't understand why. There was nothing to be sad about.

"No, Master Katara. Thank you."

"If you need us, just have Teo help you send a message to the Northern Water Tribe," Aang told her. "I'll be back soon! In the meantime, Teo is an amazing glider. You guys can practice together! When I get back, I'll tell you all about the history of this temple."

Siza bowed and thanked him. Her carnivorous pet chirped. Her smile was as sad as Katara's. Aang couldn't begin to fathom why.

Aang watched the Northern Air Temple get smaller and smaller as they flew farther north. "Teaching is so fun," he enthused. "You must be excited about your school, Katara. Was it this fun when you were teaching me," Aang rambled.

Katara chuckled. "Most of the time." She gave Aang a soft smile. "I'm really glad you found another Airbender. I know you've been hoping for this."

Aang bounced up and down on Appa's neck. "We spent so much time searching the Earth Kingdom for Airbenders, but she was in the Fire Nation all along. I guess it makes sense. Earth and air are opposites, but air and fire are compliments just like air and water are."

"Maybe we'll find another one in the Northern Water Tribe," Katara joked.

"Maybe!" Aang grinned at Katara. He looked down at the sea. "Thank you for sharing all of this with me, Katara. It means a lot to me."

Katara moved forward to hug Aang. She held tight to him. He felt safe and warm in her arms. "When I found you, you brought hope back to the world. I'm glad you were able to find hope for yourself as well."

Aang held her as she held him. The flight to the Northern Water Tribe was comfortable. They watched the clouds and the waves. It was over too soon, like all good things.

Chief Arnook greeted them with all the honor due to the Avatar and his Master. He was warm and kind, but he made no effort to hide the deep grief in his eyes. The absence of the Northern Water Tribe's princess was a palpable feeling. It lived in the air as much as the everpresent chill.

Katara wasn't happy when she saw the children that had come to learn from her. "They're all girls," she told Chief Arnook afterwards.

Chief Arnook looked at her with confusion. "I thought you wanted girls to learn waterbending," he said. Aang thought the same thing. He looked at Katara with equal confusion.

"I do," Katara explained. "But if girls are learning waterbending and healing and boys are just learning waterbending, there's still a disparity. Boys should have a chance to learn healing as well. I want to teach my students that healing and bending aren't separate things. They're both part of the same art. I want to teach both girls and boys."

Chief Arnook scratched his head. None of the confusion had left his expression. "Well… I'm sure you'll be able to find someone who wants their son to be educated by the Avatar's teacher." He didn't sound sincere or even like he was invested at all.

"I'll help you find more students, Katara," Aang promised.

"You don't have to," Katara assured him. "I know you're eager to get back to the Northern Air Temple."

"I want to help you," Aang insisted. He thought about the way he and Katara had worked together to find a waterbending Master for the both of them when he had first emerged from the ice. Working together to accomplish their goals felt like the most natural thing in the world. "You helped me find an airbending student. I'll help you find a waterbending student."

"I know how important it is to you to teach airbending," Katara insisted.

"I know how important it is to you to teach waterbending," Aang retorted. "You focus on your students. I'll find some boys for you to teach. Then I'll go back to the Northern Air Temple to check on Siza."

Katara grinned at Aang. She hugged him. "Thank you, Aang." She kissed him.

"Your dreams are important," Aang insisted. Her dreams had brought him back to the world. Her dreams had helped end the war. Her dreams would be a part of the world's future. Their dreams would be a part of the world's future.

Everyone was polite to the Avatar. They were respectful and gracious. They thanked him for everything he'd done for them. They didn't want Katara to teach their sons.

"Katara taught me," Aang said. "I'm pretty good," he added with a cheeky smile. "She's the best Waterbender I know."

"I'm sure that's true," they said one after another with tones and expressions that projected their insincerity as clearly as possible. "We've already made other arrangements."

Aang spoke to a man with strong arms and an angry scowl. He prepared himself for disappointment. Aang put on his brightest smile and pled his case. He waited with patience for a response.

"A girl, huh," the angry muscles asked.

"Yes, Master Katara is a girl," Aang said. "She's also the best-"

The angry muscles turned around. "Boy!" His shout bounced off the ice walls of his home. Aang flinched at the volume. "Get out here!"

Aang heard frantic hurried footsteps. A boy with dark skin and black hair appeared behind the man. He was about seven or eight by Aang's approximation. His eyes were a blue so light, they were almost gray.

"Yes, Father?"

"Since you've shown yourself to be such a pitiful bender, I won't be wasting my time teaching you anymore. You'll have a girl for your teacher instead. At least her time isn't valuable enough to waste." The man smirked.

The boy looked down in shame. He didn't respond. Aang wanted to reach out and hug him, but the angry muscles took up the whole doorway. Aang didn't think he would step to the side to facilitate Aang's desire to hug his son.

"Where are these lessons taking place? I'll make sure he shows up first thing in the morning."

Aang swallowed and then mumbled the directions. He glanced at the boy. "What's your name?" Aang tried to sound cheerful, but it didn't work.

"Amka," the boy whispered.

"It's good to meet you, Amka," Aang said.

That night, when Aang told Katara he found her one student, he didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. He didn't want her to know the Northern Tribe would insult their own children before honoring her. She thanked him for his efforts, smiling and hopeful. "One is a beginning."

Aang grinned. "Yes, it is." Aang knew Katara would fashion the boy into a skilled Waterbender. Then more would come. Everything would work out fine.

Aang went back to the Northern Air Temple. He arrived at sunset. A large group was gathered in the courtyard around a blazing fire, laughing, talking and eating. Aang found Siza chuckling, with her pelicanshark chick in her lap, pulling tiny mosquitorobins from the pan by their beaks to toss into his mouth.

Aang watched her lick the spices and grease from her fingers before picking up a pigchicken drumstick from her plate and biting into it. "You've lived here your whole life," she asked Teo. Aang didn't think she'd seen him yet. She fed her pet another roasted mosquitorobin.

"Since I was a baby," Teo confirmed. "We've been so lucky. I know Aang has every right to make us leave. No one would blame him if he did. The war is over. We could find somewhere else that's safe."

"But you've lived here all your life," Siza said. "Wouldn't you miss it if you left?"

"So much," Teo said. "That's why I'm so grateful- Aang!" Teo's eyes locked on him. "I didn't see you there! Come sit with us!"

Aang trudged over to the group. He forced himself to smile. Siza held out a clean plate to him. "Grab some pigchicken," she suggested. "It's so good. Although, not as spicy as I'm used to."

"I don't eat meat," Aang said. "Air Nomads are taught to respect all life, so we don't eat meat." He looked at the grease on her hands and the heat on her cheeks. She didn't look like an Air Nomad. The angry scar on her neck burned red in the glow of the fire.

Siza lowered her hands. "Oh, oh I… I'm sorry. I didn't know. Should I… stop eating meat?" The warm flush in her cheeks began to fade. Her pale complexion put her scar in an even sharper contrast.

"It's up to you," Aang said. "It's a personal choice. No one can make it for you."

She tried to smile at him. The only meat she touched the rest of the night was what she fed her pet. Aang didn't know why that didn't make him feel better. The conversation around the fire became less jovial, more forced.

In the morning, they all went gliding. Aang left all of his worries and cares on the ground. He whooped and hollered with his friends. They dove from air current to air current. It was fun. They were free.

Aang showed Siza all the places in the temple that used to be significant. "You have to use your imagination," he found himself saying a lot. He could see what once had been, because he had walked the halls when they were intact. He saw no comprehension in her yellow eyes.

Siza worked hard. It was rare for Aang to need to show her a bending form more than once. When he did need to, her face twisted with shame and guilt. Aang did his best to assure her she was an amazing student. She never looked like she believed him.

"Did you name him," Aang asked one day.

They sat cross-legged on a high spire, meditating among the strong winds. She looked at him with warm, yellow eyes. "Yes, I did," she answered. "I named him Maui."

"I like it," Aang said. "Good name."

Siza took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I know I'm disappointing you. I'm… I… I'm too Fire Nation. I'm not a good Air Nomad."

"That's not true," Aang rushed to assure her. "You've just started learning. You're doing amazing! You're learning so fast!"

That night, around the fire, Aang watched Siza lick her fingers every time she fed her pet, when she thought Aang couldn't see. She ate her bowl of rice and vegetables without complaint. She finished every grain. She looked at the crispy beefpork in the other bowls with poorly disguised longing.

"I'm going to visit Katara," Aang said in the morning. "I'll be back soon."

Teo wheeled up to him while Aang was securing Appa's saddle. "Aang, can I ask you something?"

Aang grinned at his friend. He pretended not to notice his somber expression. "Of course!"

"Do you want us to go?"

"What? No. We already talked about this the first time I was here. It's good that you are bringing new life to this place," Aang forced himself to say. He pushed thoughts of what the temple had once been from his mind.

"When you were here before, we didn't have anywhere else to go. Things are different now. We appreciate your kindness, but if you want us to leave so that the temple can be restored, you have every right to ask." Teo looked at him with somber eyes.

Aang let go of Appa's saddle. He stared at Teo. "I…" Aang closed his eyes. He remembered laughing as he ran down the halls of the temple. He remembered so many vegetarian meals in the courtyard where animals were now being reared for slaughter.

Aang opened his eyes and met Teo's sad, resigned ones. "I'm trying to do the right thing," Aang said. "I'm trying to make things better. I feel like I'm just making them worse."

Teo frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about? You saved the world! You're rebuilding your civilization from scratch! How are you making anything worse?"

"I don't know!" Aang threw his hands in the air. "I don't understand! Everyone thinks I'm wise because I'm the Avatar, but I'm not! I don't know how to fix any of this! When I try, I just make things worse!"

"Aang…" Teo wheeled closer to Aang and took hold of his hand. "Are you okay?"

Aang shook his head. "I got everything I wanted. I found a way to defeat the Firelord without killing him. I found another Airbender. It's just… It's not what I thought it would be."

"Do you want a hug," Teo asked.

Aang smiled at him. He did. He really, really did. He knelt down and hugged his friend. Teo squeezed him back with strong arms.

"Thanks," Aang said. "Thanks for… Thanks for trying to understand." Teo was trying, and it meant a lot, but he didn't understand, not really. No one could. Aang looked into Teo's eyes and saw that he knew that.

"If you want us to go, we'll find somewhere new. We'll be okay. We won't be angry with you. We owe you so much, Aang."

"I have to get going," Aang said. "I'll see you soon." He jumped on top of Appa and waved goodbye. Aang pretended not to see the sadness in Teo's eyes.

Aang flew north and felt the skies. He reached out with his bending to connect with the Mechanist's artificial air currents. They let Teo fly. If Teo went to live somewhere else, he would become bound to the Earth. Aang knew Teo knew that, but he had made the offer anyway.

Katara was overjoyed to see Aang. Her eyes held no complicated feelings of guilt mixed with resentment. Her delight upon seeing him was sincere and overflowing. Aang felt himself release a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Aang!"

"Katara!"

They threw themselves into each other's arms. The arctic winds tried to cut through their clothes and freeze their skin, but they were rebuffed. Meanwhile, the warmth of the embrace seeped deep into their bones. It grew and grew.

"How's the school? Have you found any new students?" Aang bounced on his heels.

"Lots of girls," Katara said. "No boys other than Amka," she added with a forced, tight smile. "No one wants their son to learn healing. Plus…" She bit her lip. She looked almost guilty.

"What's wrong?"

"He's terrible," she whispered. "He can't heal at all. At first I thought he just wasn't trying because he didn't want to do girly bending, but he is trying. He works harder than any of my other students. He just can't do it. I feel so bad for him."

"What about combat waterbending? Has he made any progress with that?"

Katara shook her head. "He can only control the smallest amount of water or snow at a time. He can't do anything with ice at all. He tries so hard, and it breaks my heart."

Aang bit his lip. He couldn't imagine how the boy must feel. Aang knew that he had an advantage over others when it came to bending. He was the Avatar. Mastering the elements had been more about remembering something forgotten than learning something new.

"That's okay though. Not everyone needs to be a great bender." Aang remembered the angry scowl of the boy's father and felt a deep disquiet twist in his gut. "How is he… other than that?"

Katara frowned. "I think… very unhappy."

Aang looked into the distance. He realized with a start that he could see, far off in the distance, the cave where he and Zuko had once hidden from the storm. Aang remembered Sokka teasing Zuko about it at the Western Air Temple. Aang had laughed. If Aang had known then what he later learned, he wouldn't have.

"Let's talk to him," Aang said, in a tone of resolve. "We'll find the solution that's best for him."

Katara gave Aang a hopeful smile. "Yes, we will."

When they knocked on the boy's home, a woman answered. Her skin was light for a Tribeswoman, and her eyes were, like her son's, such a light blue that they were almost gray. The stormy sea eyes widened when they saw Aang. "The Avatar," she whispered.

Aang gave her an awkward wave. "Hi. You must be Amka's mother. I'm Aang." Aang gestured to Katara. "This is Katara, Amka's waterbending teacher."

The woman frowned at Katara. "Oh…"

"Is Amka here," Katara asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes, I'll go get him." She disappeared and then returned a few moments later, holding her son's hand. "Amka, your teacher is here."

Amka looked down at the ground. "Hi, Master Katara," he whispered. He rubbed his arm.

"We came to talk to you about your bending," Katara said.

"We understand," the woman said. "You are very busy. We can find another teacher for him." She put an arm around her son's shoulders.

"What? No!" Katara shook her head. "I'm not dropping Amka as a student. We just want to talk to him. We want to make sure he's happy."

"Of course he is," his mother said. "Why wouldn't he be?" She held him closer while he continued to rub his arm.

Aang stared at Amka. "What happened to your arm," Aang asked.

Amka's eyes snapped up. He stared at Aang in terror. "Nothing! I didn't-! Nothing!"

Katara frowned. She knelt in front of her student. "Can I see?"

Amka backed up. "Nothing happened! It's all your fault! None of this would happen if I were a better Waterbender! Why can't you just teach me to be better?!"

Aang felt sick. He thought about blizzards, and he thought about fire. He thought about injustice. He wanted to cry. "Amka," Aang said in a desperate voice. "What happened?"

"Nothing!"

Katara tried to soothe him with a soft voice. Amka's mother asked them if they could come back another time in a panicked voice. Aang felt so young. He was thirteen years old, and he didn't understand. He couldn't.

Aang felt an odd desire. He wished Zuko was there. Somehow, Aang thought Zuko could explain the situation to him. He wasn't there though.

Aang relied on a familiar operandi. He ran away. He sat on Appa's neck and cuddled Momo in his lap. He closed his eyes and thought about warm air.

Aang arrived back at the Northern Air Temple. Teo was surprised to see him return so soon. Aang couldn't meet his gaze. Aang mumbled a question. "Do you know where Siza is?"

"I think she went down to the coastline to go wind sailing. Aang, are you-"

Aang ran again. He pictured Teo, stuck on the ground, unable to ever fly again. The Mechanist's warm air currents would leave the temple with him. The halls of the Northern Air Temple would be cold and dark. That wasn't what Aang wanted. Aang didn't know what he did want.

Aang didn't think it mattered what he wanted. He needed to do what was right. It was unfortunate that he had no idea what that was. He glided to the coast.

Aang found Siza on the water. She was on a surfboard with a sail on it. She was using airbending to control where she went and give herself greater speed. She was very good at it. She looked like she had done this activity many times before.

Maui the pelicanshark swam beside and behind her. He leapt into the air and dove back into the water several times. Aang noticed that a few times, he resurfaced with his teeth gleaming red. Aang frowned.

Siza didn't see Aang. So Aang kept watching her. He watched her for hours. Siza had learned a lot from Aang's lessons. In a short period of time, she had gone from being clueless about airbending to forming admirable skill.

When she got tired, she went to the beach. She gathered some sticks and lit a fire with some spark rocks. She collected some fruit and sat down in front of the fire to eat it. She stared at the fruit and sighed.

From the sea, Maui chirped at her. She laughed and stood up to collect him from the water. She cuddled him in her lap. "I know. I'd much rather be collecting the octoscallops from that tide pool," she told the creature as she pet his feathers.

Maui nuzzled her with his nose. She ran her fingers down the snow-white feathers. She rubbed the angry scar on her neck. She stared into the fire.

"Air Nomads are vegetarians," Siza whispered. She picked up the fruit and began to nibble on it. "I'm an Air Nomad, so…" She set the fruit down. She reached for a strand of her hair and started winding it around her finger. "How long do you think I have before he makes me cut my hair?"

Maui chirped at her.

Siza laughed. She pressed a kiss to the top of the creature's head. "At least I'll always have you. As long as you're with me, I'll always have a piece of the Fire Nation. Don't worry; I'll never ask you to stop eating meat. It's cruel to deprive a carnivore of what it needs to survive."

Maui flapped his wings. Siza laughed and threw him into the air. He flew around her head for a few seconds before diving back into her lap. She shrieked with delight as she caught him and cuddled him some more.

It occurred to Aang that the pelicanshark must trust Siza absolutely to let her hold him like that. Pelicansharks couldn't survive on dry land. All Siza had to do to kill the creature was set him down and walk away. She never would, but it was amazing that Maui knew that.

Aang slunk away before Siza could catch sight of him. He went to find Teo. He didn't know what to say. He supposed the truth was a good place to start.

He found Teo outside his father's former office, staring at the door to what had once been a sanctum. Aang walked up to him and then sat down next to his chair. For a long time they were both silent. It wasn't awkward, even though Aang felt like it should have been. It felt nice.

"When I was a kid," Teo began, once he was ready. "I used to wonder what the people who were here before were like. I thought of them like creatures from spirit tales. They didn't seem real…" He trailed off. "I'm not explaining myself right."

"I think you're doing a great job," Aang said.

"It wasn't until I met you that it really hit me… The Air Nomads were real people. They lived and breathed. They laughed, played, ate, sang and… and they lived here. This was- is their place. This is their- your home."

"It is," Aang agreed. "It is my home." Aang looked at Teo. Teo wasn't stupid. He was right up there with Sokka as one of the smartest people Aang knew.

Teo knew what he would be losing if he left the Northern Air Temple. Yet, he had detached himself from his own desires in order to focus on what was right. Aang knew how hard that was to do. He knew better than anyone. Sometimes he wished he didn't.

"I don't mind sharing it with you," Aang said.

"It isn't really being shared though, is it? We're living here, filling this place with our ways and our culture. We fly, but we aren't Air Nomads. How are we honoring your people by living here?"

Aang considered that. "Siza is here. She's an Air Nomad." Even as Aang said the words, they felt wrong.

"Yeah, Siza…" Teo frowned. He looked at Aang and opened his mouth to speak. He shut it. He opened it again. "Aang…"

"I know," Aang whispered. "I know."

"She's trying so hard to please you," Teo said. "She wants to make you proud."

Aang stared at the door. He reached out to run his fingers down the ancient wood. Even after so much time had passed, the lacquer hadn't faded. The wood hadn't splintered.

"I'm sorry that things didn't turn out the way that you wanted," Teo said. "If anyone deserves to have things easy, it's you."

Aang smiled at him. "Thank you." Aang got to his feet. "I'm going back to the Northern Water Tribe to check on Katara. Teo… thank you."

"I haven't really helped you though," Teo protested. "I haven't made anything better."

Aang stared at the wheels that substituted for Teo's legs. Without them, he would be like Maui, unable to live on the ground. Aang didn't know where that thought came from. He didn't know what to do with it.

"This helps," Aang disagreed. "It doesn't solve the problem, but… it helps."

Teo looked unconvinced. Aang didn't have time to convince him though. He needed to get to Katara. He needed to help Amka. A million thoughts swirled in Aang's head, but a shining star of clarity gave Aang a sense of direction. He didn't want anyone to suffer.

Suffering, the monks had taught Aang, was evil. Suffering was the root of evil and the branch. Suffering and evil were a circle, a kimonochicken that laid an egg that became a kimonochicken that laid another egg. Suffering inspired evil, and evil created further suffering.

Aang hadn't understood at the time, but he thought he might be starting to. He needed to save the boy. He needed to prevent suffering. Maybe then, he would figure out how to save himself, Siza and Teo. If not, at least he would have stopped an evil and ended a suffering.

Aang clung to that thought all throughout his chilly journey. Momo crawled under Aang's shirt to keep warm. Aang laughed and pet him. The fur was so much softer than he imagined pelicanshark feathers to be.

As was typical, the situation Aang found upon arrival did not lend itself to any of the dramatic speeches or actions he had planned. Katara was eating dinner with Chief Arnook, and Aang was invited to join. Aang sat down, doing a poor job of disguising his impatience. Chief Arnook raised a brow, but then he began asking Aang a bunch of political questions that Aang couldn't care less about.

When the dinner was over at last, Aang pulled Katara away. She frowned at him. "Aang, you were rude to Chief Arnook. Are you alright?"

"It's Amka," Aang said. "We have to help him. We have to… do something. His dad wants him to be a better Waterbender, but he'll never be able to please him. Even if Amka were the most amazing Waterbender ever, he'd still…" Aang trailed off, thinking about angry red scars.

Katara bit her lip. "Aang, Amka isn't my student anymore. I tried to help him, but his parents don't want him to learn from me anymore. They won't let me go near him."

"We have to help him, Katara. We can't let him suffer. We can't let any of the children suffer. We have to…" He looked away. Somewhere on the tundra, a cave that had once been a shelter was empty.

"I agree with you, but I'm not sure what we can do. Amka's parents have the right to decide what happens to their son."

That was true. They did have that right. Aang had the right to decide what happened to his people's home as well. The issue of authority and rights was easy to figure out. The issue of what was just and what was right was much more difficult.

Aang wanted to cry. He gripped Katara's dark hands in his light ones. He stared down at them with eyes obscured by tears. Their hands were so different, as different as…

"Katara," Aang whispered. "Why is Amka such a terrible Waterbender?"

"What?" Katara tilted her head to the side.

"What's wrong with his bending? Does he not do the forms right?"

"No," Katara said. "He copies me perfectly. I don't know why the forms don't work for him. It doesn't make sense really."

Aang ran. He ran, but he didn't run away. Aang ran towards Amka's home. Aang ran towards the truth, whatever that might be. Maybe rights and right didn't matter. Maybe the truth would set them all free.

Aang knocked. The woman appeared in the threshold of her home. Aang didn't know her name. He hadn't asked. He hadn't realized she was important. Aang felt shame, hot and heavy.

"Avatar Aang, what-"

Aang bowed to her. "What is your name," Aang asked, before he allowed the conversation to go any further. Katara was running up behind him. That was fine.

"I'm… Kida, Avatar Aang," she answered.

"Kida," Aang said. "Why didn't you tell me that you're an Airbender?"

The truth didn't set them free. It didn't set Aang free. It didn't set Kida free. It didn't set Amka free.

Aang uncovered the truth, but somehow, it just made things worse. The situation got messier. There was yelling. There were threats. Aang was so glad Katara was there, because he had no idea what he would have done without her there to clean up his mess.

"I don't understand," he told her later, after he had stopped crying. "Why are they so desperate to keep him happy? He's terrible."

"It's complicated, Aang," she said with a sigh. She put her arm around his shoulder, and they both sank to the ground. "It all makes sense now. He was never waterbending at all. He was bending the air inside the water."

"That's why he couldn't heal," Aang said.

"Or bend ice," Katara agreed.

They were quiet together for a long time, although not as long as he and Teo had been. It wasn't quite as comfortable either. The awful thing they had seen weighed on both of them. "Sifu Katara?"

"Yes, Aang?"

"Will you teach me to heal?"

"Of course," Katara said. "I'm delighted that you're asking."

"Even if we got him away from his dad," Aang said. "He still wouldn't want to learn airbending, would he?"

Katara shook her head. "He's Water Tribe."

Aang nodded. "Siza is Fire Nation."

"I know." Of course she had known. Katara had known from the beginning. Aang felt so stupid. "I'm sorry."

"I'm going to… talk to her," Aang decided.

Katara nodded. "I'm going to talk to Chief Arnook. I'm going to find a way to help Amka and Kida. I'm going to find a way to help all of the children. I…"

"You're going to pull a Katara," Aang suggested.

"I'm going to kill Sokka," she muttered under her breath. "But yes," she agreed. "I am."

Some things didn't change. The tides went in and out. The seasons returned each year. Katara's temper was a force of nature. Aang found comfort in that.

Aang went to the Northern Air Temple. He found Teo. He took a deep breath. "I need to ask you something," Aang said.

Teo braced himself. He was ready. He was ready to give up everything. He had detached himself. He was ready.

"Would you like to be an Airbender?"

Teo's mouth fell open. "What," he managed to squeak after a moment of stunned silence.

"You have the spirit of an Airbender. You aren't an Air Nomad, and you wouldn't have to become one either. That part is up to you. Well, all of this is up to you. I'm not explaining this well…"

"I think you're doing a great job," Teo said.

Aang smiled at him. "Thanks." Aang took a deep breath. He released it with a slow careful exhale.

"You can fly here. Your father created artificial air currents around the temple so that you and your people can fly. You can fly, but only here. Would you like to be able to fly anywhere?"

Teo stared. "Why me?"

"You detached yourself," Aang explained. "If it will work for anyone, it will work for you."

"So you don't know that it will work," Teo clarified.

"No," Aang admitted. "I don't. You don't have to decide right now. You can take some time to think about it." He offered Teo what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

"I thought about it. I've decided."

Aang had never really doubted what the answer would be. It wasn't like Ozai. Aang hadn't expected it to be, but he hadn't known what to expect.

Aang felt lightness. He felt Teo's spirit. He felt love and hope and acceptance. He felt a warm breeze dancing across his skin. He laughed. They laughed.

It was strange that something of such enormity, such importance, should have no weight at all. The action changed the world, but it felt as soft and gentle as a goodnight kiss. Aang opened his eyes and looked at Teo. Teo lifted his hands up, strong and calloused from years of working his chair.

Aang felt the bending in his spirit. He felt the winds shift and change in accordance to Teo's will. The other boy's face lit up. Tears fell from Aang's eyes. They weren't as simple as mere tears of joy, but they were close.

Aang went to find her. He knew where she would be. She was floating in the ocean, taking a break from sailing. Aang bent a patch of water into ice as he descended on his glider. His feet touched down, light as air.

Siza opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her yellow eyes went wide. She stopped floating and started treading. "Avatar Aang!"

"I have a question." Aang sat down cross-legged on his piece of ice.

Maui the pelicanshark bumped Aang's ice with his nose. He tried to bite it, but didn't find the taste to his liking. He swam over to his friend and nuzzled himself under her arm. Momo blinked at the creature from Aang's shoulder. They were both creatures of the sky, but they were so dissimilar.

"Yes, Sifu."

"Why the ocean? Fire and water are opposites."

Siza nodded in agreement. "It's complicated. I'm… complicated. I always felt safer near the water. Even before I got burned… but especially after."

"But you still love the Fire Nation," Aang asked.

"Love is a… I'm not sure if that's the right word. I just… It's what I… know." Siza sighed. She kept treading. She showed no signs of tiring.

Aang nodded. "A woman from the Fire Nation, who's of the sea and sky. Do you ever feel like you're being pulled apart?"

"Do you," she whispered.

"I'm the Avatar," Aang said, as if that were an answer.

"I'm sorry," Siza said. "I know I'm a disappointment to you. I know I'm not really what you were looking for. I wasted so much of your time…" She looked away, towards the shore.

"You aren't a disappointment," Aang said in a firm tone. "It doesn't matter what I was looking for. You don't exist to satisfy my longing. You exist for yourself. It doesn't matter what I want."

She frowned. It was clear that she hadn't been expecting that answer. "You're the Avatar," she protested, as if that were relevant. "I'm just… I'm nobody."

Aang shook his head. "I know that in the Fire- in your country, status is something important. To my people, however, it isn't. When you say that I'm the Avatar, you're saying that I'm important, but in my culture, everyone is equal. We're the same."

"We're not though," she protested. "We're not the same."

No, they weren't. They were never going to be. They were never supposed to be. Aang breathed in deep, and then he let go. "I'm going to teach you something." He patted his hand on the spot of ice next to him.

Siza pulled herself up and then sat down next to him with her legs crossed. She looked at him, and she looked so sad. Aang wanted to take away her sorrow, to free her from the fires raging inside her, make her lighter than air. He breathed in deep, and then he let go of that desire.

"Airbending is about detachment. I love my people, and I was attached to my desire to bring them back, but I have to let go of that desire. There will be other Airbenders. There will be other Air Nomads, but…" Aang felt the ice melting underneath him. They couldn't stay where they were forever.

"The future won't look like the past. That was never a possibility. Things change, and they never go back to the way they were before." Aang stared at the pelicanshark circling the ice. "Melted ice can freeze again, but it won't have the same form."

Siza put her fingers in the water. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong. You're a part of the Fire Nation, and you're a part of the Air Nomads. It's up to you which parts of each culture you want to keep. The decision is a personal one, and you don't owe it to anyone to follow certain practices. You have to decide for yourself who you are, and you don't owe anyone an explanation."

"There are so many people from the Fire Nation in the world," Siza protested. "Don't I have an obligation to be the best Air Nomad I can be? Isn't it my duty to help resuscitate your culture? You've given me such a gift; I owe you-"

"You owe me nothing," Aang insisted. "That's not how gifts work. You can eat all the octoscallops you want, and you never have to cut your hair. I'll still want to teach you, for as long as you want to be my student. Do you still want to be my student?" Aang tried to keep the desperation out of his voice, but no one was perfect.

Siza looked into his eyes. Gray met yellow. Aang watched her take a deep breath. The way her skin stretched around her scar looked painful. "Of course I do."

Aang smiled at her. There were a lot of other things he could say. There were a lot of other things he wanted to say. Instead, he sat on the melting ice and felt the ocean move beneath him. He breathed in and out.

"Avatar Aang?"

"Hm," he said as he watched the waves.

"Do you want to go wind sailing with me?"

He turned to her and beamed. "Yeah!"

Things weren't okay. Aang took a deep breath. Aang was the Avatar, and he was the last Airbender, and he was also an individual person with unique values, inclinations and desires. Sometimes he felt like he was being pulled apart. Sometimes he felt so heavy.

Aang was an Airbender. He exhaled. He detached himself from his worry and his woe. He let the wind push him across the sea. He allowed joy to bubble up in his heart.

Under the waves, Aang imagined, a pelicanshark moved through the currents.


	2. East

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang gets two letters that require his immediate attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place at more or less the same time as chapter 5 of Change Your Mind. They can be read in either order, but I would probably read chapter 5 of Change Your Mind first, because the ending of this fic makes the ending of that fic less surprising. That said, if you haven't read that chapter and read this one first, I'd love to hear what you think happened in the Fire Nation.

Aang showed the letter to Teo. Teo took it from Aang and read it. When he finished it, his eyes returned to the top of the page, and he read it again. "Huh."

"Yeah," Aang said. "What do you think I should do?"

Outside, some distance away, the two boys heard children scream with laughter. Aang and Teo smiled at each other. Aang ran towards the sound, while Teo used airbending to push his chair faster than his hands could ever propel it. They raced towards the courtyard.

Katara was dancing under the fountain, sending water in every direction for the children to run back and forth through. "More water, Master Katara! More water!"

Aang laughed and ran to the fountain to play in the water with the children. Katara was delighted to see him. She formed a globe of water and threw it at him. Aang caught it and turned it into a spray of warm vapor that exploded over all of them, sending the children into peals of delighted laughter.

Katara took his hand and pulled him closer, making him a part of her dance. They danced and played with the children until everyone grew tired. Food was waiting for them when they emerged from the fountain. Siza was sitting with Teo, eating roasted foxchicken.

"I made you a vegetarian plate," Siza said. She held out some foxchicken for Katara.

Aang picked up his bowl of rice and vegetables. "Thanks, Siza!"

"Teo showed me the letter. What are you going to do?"

Katara bent water out of her hair. "What letter," she asked.

Aang pushed rice around his bowl with his chopsticks. "The Earth King sent me a letter. They have this pirate in custody that's… an Airbender."

Katara jolted. "That amazing! Oh, or, well… Is he… a very bad pirate?"

"He's in custody for murder," Teo said.

"That's… less than ideal," Katara admitted. "Maybe he's innocent? You got accused of murder once, remember Aang?"

Aang nodded. That didn't make him feel better. "I guess that's possible. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, it can't hurt to talk to him, right?" Katara gave him an encouraging grin. "After you drop me off at the Northern Water Tribe in a few days, you could go meet him. If nothing comes of it, you won't have lost anything. If something does come of it, you'll be glad you did."

Aang considered that. He started nodding, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah!" He looked at Teo and Siza. "It would be pretty cool if everything worked out. With me from the Southern Air Temple, Teo from the Northern Air Temple and Siza being from the Fire Nation in the West, an Airbender from the eastern Earth Kingdom would give us one Air Nomad from each cardinal direction!"

"It's almost like the spirits planned it," Katara said with a smile.

"What about Amka," Teo asked.

"Hm?" Aang blinked at him. "Oh! Right. I forgot about Amka." He rubbed his head.

Katara sighed. "His parents still haven't changed their minds. The situation up north… It's complicated." Katara folded her hands in her lap and bit her lip.

"Are you alright, Katara," Siza whispered.

Katara continued to worry at her lip. "It's like those dumb knot puzzles your dad showed Sokka," she said, looking at Teo. "If you pull at one piece, the whole thing tightens up. I'm trying to help my people, but a lot of the time it feels like they don't want my help."

Katara released a frustrated breath and took a hand out of her lap to flick a pebble away. They all watched it dance over the edge of the courtyard, to fall to the ground below. She scowled. "I understand why Gran-Gran went south in the first place. Some people are just so bullpigheaded!"

Aang put a comforting hand on Katara's shoulder. "You don't have to keep going north if it upsets you. You don't owe them anything."

Katara shook her head. "I do. Or at least… Maybe owe isn't the right word, but I have to help the women and children of the Northern Water Tribe. They are my people, and I…"

"You love them," Teo suggested.

Katara worried at her lip some more. "Yes, but I… It's more than that. I…"

"You see yourself in them," Siza guessed. "You help them because if your places were reversed, you would want them to help you?"

"Maybe…"

"There doesn't have to be a reason," Aang said. "You want to do something good for other people, and that's a beautiful thing. There doesn't have to be anymore to it than that." He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you."

Katara beamed. "Thank you, Aang." She kissed his cheek.

Aang felt warmth fill his whole being. It felt good to sit with the person he loved. He reached for her hand, and she slotted it into his as if there were nowhere more natural for it to be. Aang had been so afraid that they wouldn't find any Airbenders, but two sat right across from him. He felt peaceful and content. Whatever happened next, he would accept it.

Aang penned a letter to the Earth King and then spent the next few days focusing on Siza's and Teo's airbending lessons. Both of them worked hard and were well on their way to mastery. Momo and Maui had developed a bit of a rivalry during the lessons and often chased each other through the air while their masters worked below. More than once, Siza and Aang had been forced to cut lessons short in order to pull the two apart.

"Sorry Aang," Siza said one day. She held the struggling pelicanshark close to her chest.

"It's fine," Aang said. "I know he doesn't really want to hurt Momo. They're just playing." Aang looked at Maui's razor sharp teeth and shuddered. If Maui ever did decide he wanted to do more than chase Momo, he would have no trouble ripping the lemur apart.

"Um, you're leaving tomorrow to go to the Earth Kingdom, right?"

Aang nodded. "Yep."

Siza bit her lip. "Can I go with you? I- I want to meet the other Airbender."

"Oh. Sure!" Aang grinned. "I think that's a great idea. I could use your help. Do you think Teo will want to come too?"

Siza shrugged. She was watching her pet glide through the air. "I don't know," she said. She tilted her head to the side. Her voice was very quiet.

"You're doing that thing again," Aang said in a gentle tone.

She blinked and then looked at him. "I am? I'm sorry. I'm here now. You should ask him."

Aang did. Teo decided that he did want to come. So, in the morning, the four of them mounted Appa. Aang dropped Katara off at the Northern Water Tribe. Then the three Airbenders flew to the city where a fourth was said to be held.

It was a fun trip. They told jokes and stories. They laughed and sang. They played the common travel game of asking questions to guess the identity of some object or animal.

"Does it swim," Teo asked.

"Yep," said Aang.

"Does it prefer a cold climate," Siza asked.

"Nope." Aang grinned at them. "You'll be so mad at yourself when you figure it out."

"Does it have fur," Teo asked.

"Nuh-uh," Aang said.

"Does it have feathers," Siza asked.

"Yes!"

"Can you eat them," Teo asked.

"Yes, but I have a friend who would be very unhappy with-"

"Turtleduck," Siza said. "It's a turtleduck."

"You got it! Okay, now it's your turn."

Siza grinned. "Okay, um… I got one."

"Is it an animal," Teo asked.

"No."

"Is it alive," Aang asked.

"No."

"Is it a tool," Teo asked.

"It can be used as one, but that is not its function," Siza explained.

"Is it edible," Aang asked.

"Everything is edible by something, especially if it's determined, but not really, no."

"Is it common," Teo asked.

"Oh yes, very."

Eventually, they gave up. "I can't figure it out," Aang said. "I'm stumped."

"Yeah," Teo said. "What is it?"

"Rock," Siza said.

Aang burst into laughter. "You're so good at this game!"

"Of course a rock stumped two Airbenders," Teo joked.

"Aang's an Earthbender too," Siza pointed out.

The game, by its nature, could last for as long as they needed it to. They played until they arrived at the Earth Kingdom. They landed at the small coastal city and disembarked Appa. "Good work, buddy," Aang said as he ran his fingers through Appa's fur. "Thanks."

"Avatar Aang!" Aang turned around and smiled at a tall woman with dark brown eyes, long black hair and dark brown skin. "We are so honored to host you. As the Earth King instructed, we are here to ensure your absolute comfort for the length of your stay."

"Thanks," Aang said with a bright grin.

"We have a large barn set up for Appa full of hay, if that is amenable to you."

"Sounds great! Lead the way."

Teo grabbed the wheels of his chair and pushed himself down the road after the woman. Siza walked next to him, while Aang stood next to their guide. "What's your name," Aang asked.

"I am Mayor Yian," the woman said. "The Earth King appointed me to serve as mayor throughout the transition process."

"Are you part Fire Nation," Siza whispered.

Yian smiled at Siza. "This city was a colony for almost ninety years. We're all a little Fire Nation, I dare say. Earth is strong, however, and the foundation remains after the fires burn away."

"Has it been hard, the transition?" Aang gave her a hopeful smile.

Yian waved away his question. "Do not trouble yourself with such concerns, Avatar Aang." She gestured to the large barn they had arrived at. "What do you think? Is it suitable?"

"It's perfect!" Aang pet Appa. "Looks real cozy, huh buddy?"

The mayor chuckled. "Wait until you see your own accommodations. You'll be even more delighted! I've also instructed my chef to prepare a traditional vegetarian Air Nomad meal."

"Thanks! Oh, but my friends aren't vegetarians." He gave Siza and Teo an abashed look.

"No one needs to eat meat at every single meal," Siza told Aang.

"Sokka does," Teo joked.

Siza smiled at him. She turned to the mayor and bowed in the Fire Nation style, no doubt by instinct. "Thank you for your consideration and kindness. We are honored by your hospitality."

The mayor wrinkled her nose. "We don't bow like that here."

Siza straightened, startled. "Of course. My apologies. It's just a habit. I'm from the Fire Nation."

The mayor smiled at her. "Well, never fear. Air, like Earth, endures. You survived, just like we did." The mayor put a hand on Siza's shoulder, almost touching the burn scar on her neck.

Siza flinched. "Thank you," she whispered, almost too soft to hear. She didn't sound grateful so much as she sounded scared.

Teo cleared his throat. "So, about this Airbender," he said.

"Yes! I'll take you to him."

Aang got Appa settled in the barn. Siza found a large trough of water for Maui to swim in, and Momo crawled into a pile of hay. "Don't let Appa eat you," Aang joked. They went back outside, and the trio of Airbenders followed the mayor to the jail.

"The Earth King has said, and I, of course, agree, that we will concede to your judgement on the matter of this man," the mayor assured Aang. "We understand that you need to rebuild Air Nomad society, and three Airbenders is a very small start." She frowned at Teo. "You can't even have children, can you?"

Teo appeared startled by the question. "That's a very personal thing to ask," he admonished her in a soft tone.

Yian shrugged, appearing unperturbed. "My apologies," she said, not sounding at all apologetic. "In here."

She led them into a large metal building. All of the other buildings in the city were made of wood or stone. Inside the metal building were rows and rows of cells. Most of the cells contained people with long dark hair, and if Aang got a glimpse of their eyes, they were usually yellow. One man was curled up on the floor, crying. He'd been shaved bald.

Siza made a whimpering sound. "Who would do something like that?"

"The Fire Nation considers hair to be sacred," the mayor said, as if they didn't all already know that. "Just the threat of cutting it is an effective way to ensure good behavior, but a threat is only useful if you prove you're willing to follow through. When the other prisoners saw him, they quieted down quite quickly."

Siza shivered. Aang reached out to touch her hand, hoping to comfort her. She stepped away from him, indicating that she didn't wish to be touched. Aang dropped his hand.

"Here we are." The mayor gestured to the largest cell in the prison. It looked somewhat comfortable or as comfortable as a prison cell could be. There was a bed and even a small table inside. A man with short black hair and skin that looked tan from a lot of time under the sun was sitting on the ground, eyes closed, looking almost as if he was meditating.

Aang cleared his throat. "Hello."

The man opened his eyes. They were a deep grey. If Aang had to guess, he would have said the man was in his thirties. "Hello, Avatar Aang." His tone was gentle.

"Um… You're an Airbender?"

The man took a deep breath and exhaled in the direction of his bed, releasing a wind powerful enough to rip off the sheets and blankets he'd tucked into the frame. That answered that question. He returned his gaze to Aang. He didn't speak.

"Have you always known that you're an Airbender," Teo asked.

The man smiled and shook his head. "I was six the first time I used my bending. I didn't realize what I had done at first. My father, when he found out, was delighted."

"Was he an Airbender too," Aang asked.

The man shook his head. "It must have been the woman that bore me," he explained.

"What happened to her," Siza whispered.

The man frowned. "Father had already grown bored of her by that point. He didn't tend to keep women for more than a few years. I have no memory of her."

Aang felt ill. "Oh."

"My father was a cruel man," the man explained unnecessarily.

Aang thought about Amka's father and Zuko's father and wondered why everyone in the world didn't just do things the Air Nomad way. Aang wanted to respect other cultures, and most of the time it was easy. Other cultures were just as beautiful as his, but the whole fatherhood thing was something that Aang would never understand. He couldn't grasp why it was okay in other cultures for men to abuse women and children just because they were husbands or fathers.

"What is your name," Siza asked.

"Boh," the man answered. "That is the name my father gave me, but it never felt right."

"Why is that," Teo asked.

The man shrugged, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps because it is an Earth Kingdom name, and I am not Earth Kingdom. I never felt comfortable walking on the ground. Even now, in this cell, I feel as though I am suffocating. I only felt at peace surrounded by the ocean breeze."

Aang glanced at Siza, who had a similar attachment to the ocean. If she was having an emotional reaction to the man's words, she kept it locked away. Aang glanced at Teo. Teo's emotions were on a more open display. He looked sympathetic.

Aang glanced at the mayor. She looked more bored than anything. "Umm… Mayor Yian?"

She smiled at him, her expression transformed to that of one eager to serve and please. "Yes, Avatar Aang?"

"I know Boh is a pirate, but what were his exact crimes?"

"Would you like me to get the court documents for you?"

Aang nodded. "I would really appreciate it."

The mayor smiled at him and departed. Aang noticed that Siza watched her leave the prison and then walked partway down the hall to one of the other cells. Teo watched the both of them and then gave Aang a significant look. Aang got the feeling that this was another one of those times where everyone knew what was going on but him.

"I can tell you of my crimes, Avatar Aang."

Aang met Boh's grey eyes. They looked so familiar. They reminded him of home, of all the people he had lost. "Alright," Aang said.

Boh told a long story. He talked about growing up with his brothers, being forced to fight one another. Winners got food and beds, losers got warm water and blankets with mosquitofleas. He told Aang the story of the first time his father made him kill somebody. He'd been eleven.

Aang felt like he was going to throw up. He didn't want to hear anymore, and the story was just beginning.

Mayor Yian returned with the court documents and gave them to Aang. "Would you like to prepare for dinner? The officials of the city are so excited to meet you."

"What? Oh, I…"

"Don't worry, Avatar Aang," Boh assured him. "I'm not going anywhere." He chuckled at his own apt observation. "Get some food and rest. We can continue our conversation in the morning."

Aang nodded. "Okay…" Aang nodded again. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, more decisive.

Boh bowed his head. "Until tomorrow."

Siza had rejoined Aang and Teo without Aang noticing when Yian had reentered the prison. Yian led the trio to a large stone manor. The walls were green, but Aang noticed some spots where the paint had chipped and red stone was visible. "My great-grandfather built this manor," Yian said.

"He did a good job," Teo said. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is," Yian agreed. "The Fire Nation general that forced him to build it had him executed as soon as it was finished." She smiled at Teo. "Generations of colonial governors lived here. I was Governor Chen's accountant and his half-sister."

"He was the one in the prison, the one that was shorn," Siza whispered.

"Yes," Yian agreed, still smiling. "He used to pull my hair when I was a little girl. He would mock me for being a bastard and push me into puddles of mud, telling me that was where I belonged. His mother encouraged all this, of course. She was furious that her husband had acknowledged his indiscretion."

Aang squirmed, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm sorry that happened to you," he said.

Yian waved away his concern. "It matters not. The Earth endures. I'll show you to your rooms."

The three rooms were beautiful. They were all decorated in various shades of green. The curtains and sheets were green silk. There were emeralds decorating the bedframes. Even the dresser was made of a greenish wood.

The three of them huddled together in Aang's room, even though each had their own. Aang sat on the floor and buried his face in his hands. "This is going to be really complicated and difficult, isn't it?"

Teo rested his hand on Aang's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Aang."

Aang looked up at Siza. "Are you okay?"

She frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I think Mayor Yian kind of… hates the Fire Nation."

Siza nodded in agreement. "She has that right. They tormented her for almost her entire life. It's an understandable position."

"But you're Fire Nation," Teo pointed out.

Siza nodded again. "That's true."

Aang sighed in frustration. "Boh did terrible things, but he was forced to do them by a terrible person. Maybe he could change. If we help him, teach him that peace is a better way, he can redeem himself."

"Maybe," Teo said.

Aang thought about Zuko. "I have a friend who did terrible things for his abusive father. Once he broke free of his father, he apologized to the people he hurt and tried to make it right. Boh could do that too."

Teo gave Aang a weird look. "What's this 'I have a friend' nonsense? We both know who you're talking about. Anyway, you could be right."

Aang looked at Siza. "Do you think Boh can be redeemed?"

Siza shrugged. "Why does it matter?"

Aang frowned. "What do you mean?"

"That prison is full of criminals. No doubt, some of them can be redeemed and some of them are beyond intervention. Why is this one prisoner worthy of a consideration that no one else is?" Siza rubbed her neck.

"Well, because…"

"Because he's an Airbender," Teo said.

Aang fidgeted, uncomfortable. "Well, it's not fair for him to get special treatment just because he's an Airbender…" He considered the situation. "We need to help all of the prisoners!"

Siza and Teo both gave Aang sceptical looks. "How," Teo asked.

"I don't know, but Siza is right. Everyone deserves a second chance. We can't just help Boh. We need to help them all."

"Aang…" Teo gave Siza an imploring look. "Tell him."

Siza shook her head. "I am the student, not the Master. It is not my place to instruct. If that is what Avatar Aang thinks we should do, that is what we should do."

"But it won't work," Teo insisted.

"I know," Siza said, stealing the wind from Aang's sails. "Whether it will work or not is not the larger point. Avatar Aang seeks to be just. As his students, we should aid him, not undermine him."

Aang was confused. "So you think I'll fail, but you want to help me anyway because you think I'm making the right choice?"

Siza considered his words. "Yes," she said at last. "That's about it."

Teo sighed. "Fine, I guess."

There was a knock at the door. Aang opened the door to see Mayor Yian. "Oh, we're almost ready. We'll just be a couple of-"

Mayor Yian pushed a scroll into Aang's hands. "It's from the Earth King."

Aang felt a deep sense of foreboding fall over him. He raised the scroll and began to read. "To the care of Mayor Yian for the eyes of Avatar Aang, hero of the- I'm just going to skip all of this."

Aang skimmed the titles with his eyes until he found the body of the message. "I have received correspondence from my ambassador in the Fire Nation. He writes to me that he has been unlawfully detained by the Firelord despite his diplomatic status. Furthermore, his bodyguard, who I believe is a friend of yours, Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, was burned during a confrontation with the Firelord and hovers near death. My ambassador writes that although she begged for mercy, he continued to push fire into her with great delight and malice-"

"That can't be true!"

Aang dropped the scroll. He felt like he was going to throw up. He'd thought he was in an impossible situation, but the one that had just been handed to him was so much worse. He locked eyes with Siza.

"Firelord Zuko would never do that! You know he wouldn't! He's your friend!"

Mayor Yian picked up the scroll and gave Siza a disdainful look. "This report was composed by the Earth King's own hand."

"About something that he didn't see!"

Aang buried his face in his hands. A hundred different emotions competed for his attention. He was worried about Suki. He was worried about Zuko. He was worried about… everyone really. He was sad, scared, angry, confused, anxious and-

"I have to go to the Fire Nation."

"I want to go with you," Siza said.

Aang shook his head. "No."

"Aang-"

"This is a job for the Avatar," Aang said, voice kind but firm. He never wanted the responsibility of being the Avatar, but it was his to bear, and bear it he would. "I'm going to the Fire Nation to find out what happened. I'll pick up Katara on the way, and hopefully we'll get there in time for her to heal Suki."

"What do you want us to do," Teo asked.

Aang turned to Yian. "You said that the Earth King gave me full discretion on how to handle Boh."

Yian nodded. "He did."

"My acolytes are the future of the Air Nomads. They deserve a say in what becomes of our people. I want you to extend the same consideration to them that you would me. Act as though they speak with my voice."

Yian nodded again. "As you say, Avatar Aang. It will be done."

Aang turned to Siza and Teo. "You're both almost Masters. You're Air Nomads. I will trust whatever decision you come to in this matter."

Teo and Siza looked at each other and frowned. "Aang, are you sure," Teo asked.

Aang nodded. "I am. I have to go. I have to hurry. Will you do this for me?"

Siza bowed, once again in the Fire Nation style. "Yes, Master Aang, of course. We are honored by your trust."

Teo nodded. "Okay. We'll handle this."

Aang bowed to Yian in the Earth Kingdom style, thanked her for her hospitality and then ran to Appa. He was in such a hurry, that he didn't realize he'd left Momo behind until he was already in the air. It was too late to turn back. His friends needed him.

Aang shuddered, high in the air. He couldn't imagine Zuko ever burning Suki. He knew Zuko was a good person. There had to be a mistake.

Aang took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He was the Avatar. He couldn't allow himself to give in to panic. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. Everything he started to focus on gave way to new concerns. Waves of anxiety crashed into him.

Aang shook his head. He cleared his mind of all negative thoughts. There was nothing he could do until he arrived at the Fire Nation. There was no point in dwelling on unsavory possibilities. He focused on the sound of the wind around him. He breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please consider leaving a review if you would like to do so. :D

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. Good thoughts, bad thoughts, nuetral thoughts. Any feedback helps. Thanks for reading! :D


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